David Atkinson Is My Novel

As part of CCM’s “R.A.W” Indiegogo fundraiser campaign, I offered the incentive “You Are the Novel.” The stipulation is simple yet complicated: For the price of $250, one (un)lucky contributor would become the main character of my next novel. Nothing else was specified. However, David Atkinson dared to tempt the impossible and went for it. Here’s what he had to say:

At one point, you could even get the “You Are the Novel” perk where “Michael J Seidlinger will turn you into the main character of his next novel.” However, you can’t get that now. I got that, and there was only one.

Frankly, I had to get it. Having Michael J Seidlinger model a character after me almost seems better than having my name on my own book (Bones Buried in the Dirt, forthcoming in March 2013).

However, now that I think about it, the exact wording of the perk concerns me a little: “Michael J Seidlinger will turn you into the main character of his next novel.” That doesn’t say he will make the main character of the novel to be me…it says that he’ll turn me into the main character of his next novel. I’m sure it could seem innocuous…but if you’ve read Michael J Seidlinger’s work (such as In Great Company, The Sky Conducting, and others) then you’d be concerned as well.

Don’t be concerned, David. I’m excited to have someone from which to sculpt a character. Will I focus on the negative? No, of course not. Based on the concept I have for the novel, David’s going to be a bit of an anti-hero badass. Going to be fun, for sure.